Without warning, Asher leaned over the table and gave Olivia a slow, delicious kiss. That drew a few stares from the older couple.
“What was that for?” she asked when he sat down again.
“Because I felt like it.”
Who was she to argue with logic like that? All things considered, she should feel anything but carefree and happy right now. Her Talent had almost been revealed yesterday. She was jobless and careless and virtually homeless. But she was enjoying this adventure with Asher.
Then she remembered Marco and her mood darkened. And the cute couple celebrating their anniversary. They’d sat at a table similar to this one, and the man had leaned over to kiss the woman. After the explosion, Olivia had never seen them again. She hoped they made it out okay.
She stared into her cup at the heart pattern the barista had made in the foam. What was Asher’s part in all of this? She knew he didn’t have anything to do with the explosion, but he knew more than he had shared with her. As a Cascadian, what was he doing in New Seattle anyway? The portals were hidden, so how had he found one and crossed over? He’d mentioned fighting men and kilts. Were there more of his people here?
Resting an arm on the chair beside him, Asher tapped his ring on the wooden seatback and scanned the parking lot. He was always on the lookout for trouble. Just like she was. Although he seemed much less frazzled now that they’d located Conry, he still had a hard edge about him—an edge that she unfortunately found attractive.
“Why are you here?” she asked. “On this side of the portal, I mean?”
A muscle in his jaw tensed. “You as in me? Or you as in us in general?”
Ah. So there were more of them here. She’d had a feeling Asher wasn’t just some rogue Cascadian who’d found a portal and slipped through on his own. “Both.”
His long fingers dwarfed the ceramic cup he held. With his pinkie extended slightly—the one with the skull ring—he took a sip of his tea. He seemed to be mulling over exactly what, if anything, he was going to tell her. “It’s a long story,” he said finally.
“And I’ve got six more days.”
Dark and Deadly: Eight Bad Boys of Paranormal Romance by Jennifer Ashley, Alyssa Day, Felicity Heaton, Erin Kellison, Laurie London, Erin Quinn, Bonnie Vanak and Caris Roane
CHAPTER 9
The RMI Group was located near the fishing terminal just north of downtown, but due to the heavy traffic this morning, it had taken a good thirty minutes to drive here from InnerBay Hospital. The region’s fastest growing digital image service was located in a two-story, glass and concrete building on Pier B. Various media outlets bought their photos and video clips to add visual realism to online content, but unlike paparazzi photo services, RMI was well respected in the industry. Which was why Carl Sanchez, known to many as the Fixer, had decided to start here.
He entered the airy lobby through the revolving glass doors and adjusted his sunglasses.
The receptionist’s desk lay straight ahead, in front of a half wall that sported a mini-waterfall and the company logo. On either side were two long corridors, their walls painted a variety of bright colors. Some designer probably said it would inspire worker productivity and workplace satisfaction, but to him, the wall made it look like a bunch of highly paid children worked here. The Ping Pong table, Nerf hoop, and what looked to be a wall of jellybeans in the atrium confirmed his suspicions.
Rather than some washed-up security guard behind the desk monitoring the comings and goings, it was a plump young woman. He was going to enjoy this. He pulled off his knit cap and rubbed his bald head, but he left the dark glasses in place.
“Thank you for calling Real Media Images. Can you hold, please?” She tapped her earpiece and looked up to greet him. “Welcome to—” Her canned smile faded into disbelief—then shock—then horror.
Just as he expected.
Her full cheeks reddened, almost to the color of the company polo shirt stretched tightly across her tits. She reminded him of an overripe tomato, where the touch of a knife point would make her skin burst wide open. He tried not to laugh, but she looked hilarious.
“Uh…um…can I help you?” she stammered.
He considered taking off the glasses and leaning in close to really give her something to stare at. He loved people’s reactions when they saw the entirety of his face for the first time. Long ago, he’d learned to use negativity as the fuel he needed to push himself further. Now, he fed off it, like a drug.
But he’d wait a little longer. He might need the leverage later.